Pasts and future area of forest on Borneo "The Forest Island"
The cutting down of trees known as deforestation was initially used for shelter, food and warmth.
At first a cleared forest provided nutrient rich fields, good for growing crops. Wood was used to make tools until c. 1500 BC. The Mayans and other civilizations in Central America cleared forests to manage overpopulation. In America it was seen as heroic for the pioneer farmer to have more land for crops.
In early Europe the primary cause of deforestation was to aid grazing and to grow crops. Afterwards, the obtainment of fuel, the constuction of ships and the smelting of metal became the common excuses for the clearing of forests. Timber became a very profitable item between the seventh and eleventh centuries. In the Middle Ages most of Europe and China saw a major increase in economic activity. This prosperity was due to the forests. Between c. 800 and 1300 France went from having 30 million hectares to 13 million hectares of trees. In Germany and central Europe about 70 percent of the land was forest in AD 900. Unfortuantely, that percentage dropped to about 25 percent in 1900. Another factor between 650 and 1350 Europe was the population increase which in turn needed more land to provide more food. The Middle Ages also helped to decrease the spread of deforestation with new farming techniques such as the crop rotation, the wheeled plow, and the horse collar. The Industrial Revolution led to another great decrease in forestry.
In China between AD 910 and 1126 the iron and steel industries flourished which added to the decline of forestry. As their population increased to approximately 270 million people in 1770, the amount of deforested land quadrupled, leaving only a limited amount of forest land.
Around the world it was true that whenever a country witnessed a population increase, the forests were exploited soon after to compensate for all of the new mouths to feed. Southern Asia saw 278,000 square kilometers of forest destroyed for cropland between 1860 and 1950. Between the 17th century and the 20th century Russia cleared 67,000 square kilometers of land. This combined with the rest of the world added to a total of about 2,350,000 square kilometers of tropical forest lost between 1920 and 1949.
Over the past few decades, most deforestation has occured in the tropics with the rate of deforestation continuing to increase in certain areas throughout the world. The removal of tropical forests in Latin America is proceeding at a pace of about 2% per year. In Africa, the pace is about 0.8% per year and in Asia it is 2% per year. North America and Europe are experiencing a growth in the area of forests after regrowth programs and a minimizing the amount of deforestation.
In the 1980s global deforestation was estimated at 17 to 20 million hectares per year, equivalent to the size of Britain. The FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005 found that annual net loss of forest area between 2000 and 2005 was 7.3 million hectares a year, an area about the size of Sierra Leone or Panama, down from an estimated 8.9 million hectares a year between 1990 and 2000. This is equivalent to the loss of 0.18 percent of the world’s forests annually. With more NGOs and increasing governmental pressure, deforestation rates are beginning to slow, but with further education and further projects unnecessary deforestation will soon be eradicated.
Almost 90% of all deforestation occured before 1950. 10% of the entire deforestation carried out, occured within the last 50 years. With the ever increasing consumption of fossil fuels, every tree lost means less CO2 is being absorbed from the atmosphere. The less CO2 is absorbed the greater the impact will be on our planet.
"Top 10" Deforesting Countries in Terms of Total Forest Loss (1995)
(area loss in hectares)
country
ranking
annual loss
.
country
ranking
annual loss
Brazil
1
- 2,550,000
.
Venezuela
6
-500,000
Indonesia
2
-1,080,000
.
Malaysia
7
-400,000
P.R. Congo
3
-740,000
.
Myanmar
8
-390,000
Bolivia
4
-580,000
.
Sudan
9
-350,000
Mexico
5
-510,000
.
Thailand
10
-330,000
source: FAO, 1997
People do not realize how big of a role deforestation has. Forests provide: shelter, food, medicine, building materials and paper.
Deforestation History
The cutting down of trees known as deforestation was initially used for shelter, food and warmth.
At first a cleared forest provided nutrient rich fields, good for growing crops. Wood was used to make tools until c. 1500 BC. The Mayans and other civilizations in Central America cleared forests to manage overpopulation. In America it was seen as heroic for the pioneer farmer to have more land for crops.
In early Europe the primary cause of deforestation was to aid grazing and to grow crops. Afterwards, the obtainment of fuel, the constuction of ships and the smelting of metal became the common excuses for the clearing of forests. Timber became a very profitable item between the seventh and eleventh centuries. In the Middle Ages most of Europe and China saw a major increase in economic activity. This prosperity was due to the forests. Between c. 800 and 1300 France went from having 30 million hectares to 13 million hectares of trees. In Germany and central Europe about 70 percent of the land was forest in AD 900. Unfortuantely, that percentage dropped to about 25 percent in 1900. Another factor between 650 and 1350 Europe was the population increase which in turn needed more land to provide more food. The Middle Ages also helped to decrease the spread of deforestation with new farming techniques such as the crop rotation, the wheeled plow, and the horse collar. The Industrial Revolution led to another great decrease in forestry.
In China between AD 910 and 1126 the iron and steel industries flourished which added to the decline of forestry. As their population increased to approximately 270 million people in 1770, the amount of deforested land quadrupled, leaving only a limited amount of forest land.
Around the world it was true that whenever a country witnessed a population increase, the forests were exploited soon after to compensate for all of the new mouths to feed. Southern Asia saw 278,000 square kilometers of forest destroyed for cropland between 1860 and 1950. Between the 17th century and the 20th century Russia cleared 67,000 square kilometers of land. This combined with the rest of the world added to a total of about 2,350,000 square kilometers of tropical forest lost between 1920 and 1949.
Over the past few decades, most deforestation has occured in the tropics with the rate of deforestation continuing to increase in certain areas throughout the world. The removal of tropical forests in Latin America is proceeding at a pace of about 2% per year. In Africa, the pace is about 0.8% per year and in Asia it is 2% per year. North America and Europe are experiencing a growth in the area of forests after regrowth programs and a minimizing the amount of deforestation.
In the 1980s global deforestation was estimated at 17 to 20 million hectares per year, equivalent to the size of Britain. The FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005 found that annual net loss of forest area between 2000 and 2005 was 7.3 million hectares a year, an area about the size of Sierra Leone or Panama, down from an estimated 8.9 million hectares a year between 1990 and 2000. This is equivalent to the loss of 0.18 percent of the world’s forests annually. With more NGOs and increasing governmental pressure, deforestation rates are beginning to slow, but with further education and further projects unnecessary deforestation will soon be eradicated.
Almost 90% of all deforestation occured before 1950. 10% of the entire deforestation carried out, occured within the last 50 years. With the ever increasing consumption of fossil fuels, every tree lost means less CO2 is being absorbed from the atmosphere. The less CO2 is absorbed the greater the impact will be on our planet.
"Top 10" Deforesting Countries in Terms of Total Forest Loss (1995)
(area loss in hectares)
People do not realize how big of a role deforestation has. Forests provide: shelter, food, medicine, building materials and paper.